Solstice
by Miss Samurai
Summary: The winter war is over. New battles will be fought, romances will blossom, and chaos will ensue. Will everyone be able to handle both love and the aftermath of the epic war? Rating will definitely change.


_PROLOGUE: The Beginning of the End_

_---_

_This is the beginning of the story. The couples are a little hazy so far, but there is definitely IchiRuki (dur). And this fic is fluffy. Really fluffy. I warn you now, it is going to be some fluffy shit. Also, tell me if this was hard to follow. I apologize if it the fights didn't make sense, I may have rushed them. And while I'm apologizing, let me just say that I am very sorry for any spoilers (there are a LOT of them in the prologue alone. I shudder to think of the rest of this fic) and false information. I am only (half) human!_

_---_

The moon hung ominously in Hueco Mundo as Chad, Renji, Ishida, Tatsuki, Rukia, and Ichigo went on there final search for Gin and Aizen. They had just met up after being separated for a while and Renji had heard of a possible location that Gin, Aizen, and Tousen may be. He had recently came in contact with an arrancar earlier. It was the final battle and now they were the Soul Society's only hope, and even Tatsuki, who had just recently gained the power needed, had decided to help with their cause.

"That should be where they're at." He said, pointing to a tower at the very end of Los Noches.

"Okay, you guys cover for me, I'll take care of the bastards." Ichigo said, running to find the men who betrayed the Soul Society.

"That idiot!" Rukia muttered, chasing after him and leaving the rest of the group puzzled. She had been useless enough lately and there was no way she was going to sit back while Ichigo took care of the Soul Society's problems once again.

---

Ichigo had been caught unaware by an arrancar with shoulder length hair and a mask resting on the back of his neck.

"Why on earth would a human be here? I assumed you would have heard of the casualties from the last time." He said, stepping towards him. His ascent toward Ichigo was short lived when he was stabbed from behind, and fell face first to the ground revealing a small raven haired shinigami wiping blood from a snow white blade.

"Rukia." He began, shocked that she had followed him.

"And you said you wouldn't need my help." She said sarcastically, putting Sode no Shirayuki back in her sheath_. 'Damn she's beautiful!' _Ichigo thought to himself. A long time ago, back before Rukia's attempted execution, he may have punished himself for thinking something like that, but ever since he lost her that first time he realized that he had no control over it. Ichigo smirked and turned her around so that she, too, could see the arrancar's seven angry arrancar friends.

"Great, there are more." She complained as she shunpoed behind one and slice him in two. Ichigo shunpoed next to her

"You didn't listen to me. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?" He joked, beheading a tall yellow haired arrancar.

"Well I guess that makes us both stubborn fools." She replied, whacking another. Ichigo nonchalantly lifted her by the waist and moved her away from a cero blast that was heading straight for her. They were now fighting back to back with four remaining arrancar glaring at them.

"I just didn't want you to get hurt again that's all." He said, since he hated it when she talked about how reckless he always was.

"Oh really? Considering you died once already." Came her very clever rebuttal. Unfortunately for her it was a rebuttal he was ready for.

"That's funny, I recall you nearly dying as well." He pointed out. He had actually "died" on his way to help her. Thankfully Orihime helped him.

"That's not the point! The point is that I came to help you whether you like it or not!" She snapped. 'Holy shit, That sounded exactly like something Ichigo would have said.' Rukia realized. He smirked, apparently noticing the same thing.

"Okay then, let's finish these guys and kick some traitor ass." He said. Rukia nodded and they sprang into action. After successfully killing off all eight arrancar, they proceeded to walk down the long hallway, trying to find which room Aizen and pals were hiding in.

"Ichigo...You just got us lost." Rukia informed him.

"Be quiet. I know where we are." Ichigo lied.

"Really?" She asked skeptically.

"Well...I knew a couple minutes ago." He corrected.

"You IDIOT!" She screeched. Ichigo flinched away from her wrath.

"I'll figure it out, okay?" He told her. He looked around, only to find that they had almost gone in a complete circle.

"Would you like some help?" A new voice asked from behind them. Both Rukia and Ichigo jumped at the voice and cautiously turned around, only to see a tall women with blue-green hair.

"Nel!" Ichigo exclaimed. Nel flashed them a smile.

"I can show you where Aizen is, if that's what you want." She said. "Not only do I owe it to you, but Aizen is far too power hungry to successfully run this place."

"Really?" He asked. He hadn't seen her since after the fight with Nnoitra. She nodded and motioned for them to follow her. They were soon in front of a small metallic door.

"Thanks Nel." Ichigo said as Rukia nodded in agreement.

"Good luck you two!" Nel said, sounding like her normal, bubbly self again. Ichigo was starting toward the door when Rukia grabbed his arm.

"If you're going, so am I." She insisted.

"But..."

"I'm coming with you." She told him. He sighed and reluctantly let her come, the two of them walking side by side to find the betrayers of the Soul Society.

---

The sound of metal hitting metal reverberated through the walls of Los Noches as different battles raged on.

"I'd have never guessed that the same human boy they were trying to kill during my betrayal of the Soul Society would end up being the one they sent to kill me." Aizen chuckled. Ichigo still held the same defensive stance, standing slightly in front of Rukia and suddenly regretting letting her come with him. He hoped that they would keep their focus on him and not her.

"And look who he brought with him. So many happy memories." 'Shit!' he mentally cursed himself. Aizen walked towards them and stopped in front of Rukia, grabbing the collar of her shihakusho.

"I suggest you let go of her now unless you want to lose that hand." Ichigo threatened. Aizen released her and stepped back.

"Looks like I hit a nerve, didn't I Gin?" Aizen asked his friend.

"It certainly looks that way." Gin said with a little psycho giggle. Rukia suddenly shunpoed behind Gin, holding Sode no Shirayuki to his throat as Ichigo found his way in front of Aizen.

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here." Rukia said between clenched teeth, causing Gin's smile to fade (for once). Suddenly Aizen's illusion shattered and he was next to Rukia in seconds, slicing her side. She fell to one knee, clutching her side, which was now bleeding profusely. Ichigo rushed to help her.

"No, I'll be fine. Go after Aizen, I'll take Gin." She ordered him. Ichigo reluctantly did what she told him to do. Rukia turned to Gin, who was now smiling like a maniac.

"_Mai, Sode No Shirayuki._" She said, tracing a circle on the ground.

"You've gotten really strong, Captain six must be really proud of you now that you've proven yourself worthy of being a Kuchiki." He taunted.

"_Some no mai, Tsukishiro_." She continued, sending a huge blast of ice through the circle. Gin dodged, but got half of his body frozen in the blast

"_Ikurose, Shinsou_ ." He ordered. Rukia brought her blade up just in time to block the attack and shunpoed behind him, critically injuring him a second time.

"Little... Bitch..." He grit out, swinging his sword repeatedly, faster and faster until Rukia had little time to block it. Every time Gin would try to hit her she would be forced to stagger backwards until she was eventually backed against a wall. The blade went straight for Rukia's stomach, and since she knew she hadn't any chance of blocking that attack, she simply held her sword in front of her. As soon as his sword hit her, her sword went through his abdomen. He coughed, but managed to stay up and send another hit her way. Another hit she failed to block. Rukia staggered away from the wall, clutching her bleeding stomach and falling down.

---

"Ironic, isn't it, that Rukia got you into all of this?" Aizen said while dodging blows from Ichigo's Tensa Zangetsu.

"Shut up." Ichigo growled, striking Aizen in the arm. The pain didn't stop him from further taunting the orange haired boy.

"If it weren't for her, you wouldn't have to be fighting." He said, blocking the hit that had been intended for his throat.

"If it weren't for her, you wouldn't have been found out." Ichigo corrected, shunpoing behind him. Aizen hissed as the blade connected with his back. He turned and blocked the next attack. Suddenly they both felt Rukia's reiatsu drop at an alarming rate. 'No, no, no! She can't die!' Was all Ichigo could think to himself.

"It's too late for her." Aizen sneered. "Now prepare to rot as your love rots." He swung at Ichigo's head, making a deep gash on his cheek. Suddenly Rukia's reitsu, which had virtually disappeared a second ago, spiked and became stronger than it had ever been. He smiled triumphantly.

"Oh she will?"

_---_

Rukia woke up in her inner world with a flurry of snow swirling around her_."I am glad to see you're awake."_ A familiar voice said. Sode No Shirayuki walked through the sleet, stopping in front of Rukia.

_"Don't worry. You are so deeply_ _connected with this boy, I doubt that even the injuries you've sustained can break this bond."_ Sode No Shirayuki said. _"I've come to tell you that you still have a chance to win this. You have to perform final release."_

"But...Bankai? I haven't have time to..."

_"The bond you have with Ichigo can't be broken. When the time is right, you will find the strength." _Said Sode No Shirayuki in a philosophical sort of way. Rukia sighed impatiently, but was immediately brought back to reality with the hideous soud of Gin's cackling. She struggled to pick herself off of the ground, much to his surprise.

"You're alive? That may be a bit of a problem, huh?" He said almost whimsically. She pulled in a ragged breath. 'I hope this works.' She thought, looking deep within herself_._

"_Bankai, Shiro Tenshi_." She murmured, feeling a rush of reiatsu flow through her.

"Well, it looks like little princess Kuchiki gained bankai. When did that happen?" Gin crooned, sounding as if he were talking to a child. Snow began to ripple around them, blowing around with the ferocity of a powerful blizzard. Her shihakusho became pure white, while the robe under it became a light blue. Icicles hung from her hair and her skin was paler than usual, giving off the cold beauty of a china doll_._

"_Hisame_." She said, sending small, sharp bits of ice toward his head. He hissed and crumpled to the ground in a bloody and defeated mass. Dead as dust. She suddenly felt lightheaded. She looked down to see that the wound in her stomach was still bleeding profusely. She smiled victoriously to herself, before fainting from blood loss.

_---_

_**'Come on king, I could kick his ass into next week.' **_Ichigo's hollow said.

_**"You want revenge don't you? He won't even know what hit 'im!'**_

_'Shut up, this is _my _fight.' _He thought to his hollow.

_**'Well at least let me lend you a bit of my power. I'm getting bored here!' **_

Hichigo complained. Ichigo reevaluated his opponent. _'Fine, but don't try anything.'_ He relented.

_**'Whatever.' **_Hichigo huffed, giving his host some of his immense power.

"What the..." Aizen gasped when he saw the mask covering his opponent's face.

**"Let's end this quickly." **Ichigo said, his voice sounding hollow.

_"_Are you a..."

**"Enough with the small talk, I'm getting impatient." **He said, pointing the sword at Aizen's face now. "Gestuga Tenshou." He chanted, sending his jet black attack straight for his enemy's face.

_**'Alrightey, my work here is done. There's no way the fucker survived that so you can quit whining about the queen and help her now'** _His hollow said. Ichigo rolled his eyes, but took his hollow's advice, ignoring the whole "queen" jibe. Ichigo arrived to Rukia's side only a short while after the rest of the group did, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was breathing.

"Kurosaki-Kun! You're hurt!" Orihime exclaimed, not taking her eyes off of the gash on his face. (or was it the gash?)

"I'm fine, really. We won, now we just need to focus on helping the mortally wounded." He said. Orihime then turned back to Rukia, remembering how worried she was.

"You're right. Somebody, pick up Kuchiki-san and help get her to the fourth division." Orihime ordered. Renji nodded and scooped up his best friend, following the rest of the group to the portal back to the Soul Society.

"She'll be fine, ya' know." He said when he noticed Ichigo's anxious expression.

"Huh?"

"You can stop worrying, Rukia wouldn't let a couple scratches stop her from protecting the rest of us. She has a bad habit of putting our safety before hers." Renji explained. Ichigo nodded, not taking his eyes off of his fallen comrade, He new full well that Renji was right.

---

They were at fourth division's barracks now, and Orihime had just finished healing Ichigo. The whole time he refused it, saying that Rukia needed it more than he did. Orihime was healing Rukia now, and Ichigo watched with an anxious expression. He knew that Orihime was capable, but he still worried.

"Miss Inoue, you're needed on the battlefield." Captain Unohana told her. "Miss Kuchiki is stable, so she'll be okay if you leave for a moment."

"Yes m'am." Orihime said, bowing politely. "Call me when she wakes up." She said before leaving. Ichigo nodded, never once taking his eyes off of Rukia.

"I'm not letting you go yet. I love you too much." He whispered to her, moving her hair out of her eyes.

"Who said I was going anywhere?" She joked weakly, surprising Ichigo, who thought she was still unconscious. "Now what was that last bit again? I missed that part."

"I think you heard me." He said, smirking.

"I might have, but you should repeat it anyway; just for good measure." Now it was her turn to smirk.

"I said I wasn't letting you go."

"And?"

"And that I love you too much to let you go." He whispered. She blushed, but still managed to keep her sassy front.

"That's what I thought you said."

_And that's where the end began..._

---

****

_Vocabulary and other things that you need to know;_

_Mai, Sode No Shirayuki - Dance, Sleeves of White Snow_

_Ikurose, Shinsou - Shoot to death, Shinsou_

_Shiro Tenshi- white angel (Hope I translated right)_

_Hisame- Frozen rain/ice rain (Please don't yell at me!)_

_---_

_"Zanpakutou speaking"_

_'thoughts'_

****

'inner hollow'"Vizored form"


End file.
